I have SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition installed on Windows 8.1 and found that when I try to open the Configuration manager from the start menu, I cannot not find a start menu entry or shortcut for it.

I discovered that you can find it by searching for its msc. file in the start. Go to Start Menu ( Windows Key + S) and enter the following in the search box:

SQLServerManager10.msc

SQL Configuration Manager will be dynamically returned in the result set, you can pin it to Start Menu or Desktop Taskbar as needed.

Alternatively use the run command (windows Key + R) and enter: SQLServerManager10.msc

Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2013 can be used to Developed NAV 2013 R2 Reports. Visual Studio Community 2013 includes all the great functionalities of Visual Studio Professional 2013, designed and optimized for individual developers, students, open source contributors, and small teams. Please download for free from here

I was able to open report layouts of NAV 2013 R2 with this edition and made some modifications. It looks like this is the Free IDE for NAV 2013 R2 Report Development – an alternative to Visual studio 2013 professional which is not free. Check it out.

Today, Todd Bergesson of Microsoft confirmed at NAVUG that the classic forms as we have known them since 1995 will be discontinued in NAV “7”.

This quote is from MSDynamicsWorld.

The reason for this, Bergeson said, is twofold: First, SQL is the only server option for NAV 7, so when a user is upgrading to 2009, he needs to upgrade to SQL; and second, the Classic Client must be upgraded to the Role Tailored Client using the transformational tool in 2009, because the engine that runs the forms in previous versions will no longer exist.

“So, when you upgrade to 7, and everything’s in forms, nothing will run,” Bergeson said. “I can guarantee you, the forms aren’t going to miraculously change and appear, because that’s going to throw the development cycle out by another year. So, that engine is gone. Classic client is gone, so you just need to have that discussion now.”

This means that NAV7 will not only ship without forms, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to run forms

So anyone who wants to use NAV 7, the RTC is the only option. This also means it is mandatory to go through 2009 to upgrade your forms to pages. This has two reasons.

1. The Transformation Tool is not shipped and/or updated for NAV “7”

This means that you would either have to run the old Transformation Tool but against what forms, this brings us to

2. The new funtionality is only in pages

So you cannot merge your forms with “7” forms and go to pages. You MUST merge your old forms with “6” forms, then goto “6” pages and then merge to “7” pages.

This is a mandatory path every upgrade must follow.

And this is old news, but it has never been official until now.

What are the other consequences…

From a development/partner perspective there are massive consequences, namely most partners have built their own development tools within NAV. And they won’t work anymore. Let’s have a look at the three most popular ones

1. Object Manager by Idyn.

Unless updated to pages this tool will not work anymore, and even then, it will be extremely hard to use since having a page based tool it requires all developers to have an RTC active on their development systeem. Which off course they should already, but still, it is more a hassle

2. MergeTool

This tool is already updated to pages (thank you Denster, I did not know that), so tool will still work , but the form versions can only be used in old versions.

3. ReVision

Here, there are no changes. Clearly this tool has been made with the vision that having a tool that resides within NAV does not have a long term future. ReVision is .Net based and uses an external repository. This tool should be a safe investment.